In a major leap toward next-generation energy storage, researchers have created a lithium-air battery that could one day rival gasoline in energy density, offering up to four times the capacity of today's lithium-ion batteries.
What is a lithium air battery?
Part 1. What is a lithium-air battery? A lithium-air battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses lithium as the anode and oxygen from the air as the cathode. This unique chemistry allows lithium-air batteries to achieve a theoretical energy density that is significantly higher than that of conventional lithium-ion batteries.
In a major leap toward next-generation energy storage, researchers have created a lithium-air battery that could one day rival gasoline in energy density, offering up to four times the capacity of today's lithium-ion batteries. If realized at scale, such a breakthrough could transform everything from electric vehicles to grid storage.
Advances in lithium-air battery technology could greatly benefit industries such as automotive (electric vehicles), consumer electronics, and renewable energy storage. Lithium-air batteries offer higher energy densities than lithium-ion.
With further development, this lithium-air design could reach a record energy density of 1,200 watt-hours per kilogram. That density is four times greater than lithium-ion batteries. The lithium-air battery has the highest projected energy storage density of any technology being considered for the next generation of batteries.
The new rechargeable lithium-air battery packs four times greater energy density than the traditional lithium-ion battery. In a major leap toward next-generation energy storage, researchers have created a lithium-air battery that could one day rival gasoline in energy density, offering up to four times the capacity of today's lithium-ion batteries.
A new rechargeable lithium-air battery potentially has four times greater energy density than a traditional lithium-ion battery. Schematic shows a lithium-air battery cell consisting of a lithium metal anode, air-based cathode, and solid ceramic polymer electrolyte (CPE).